Burgess Owens: “Public School 91 has been falling down around the 1,100 students and 50 teachers who learn and work there. Students…”

“Public School 91 has been falling down around the 1,100 students and 50 teachers who learn and work there. Students every day have had to navigate a treacherous path around jagged holes, falling plaster, contaminated water, exposed pipes, wires and brick, and dust and soot. Blocking part of the playground are boiler trucks--rented since September 1997 for about $10,000 a month to heat the school after coal-fired furnaces were deemed too dangerous to keep operating. Children at recess in the asphalt play yard skirt a drain that has collected a small pool of dirty water that everyone suspects is backed-up sewage. Pieces of plaster drop from the ceilings, drafts seep through exposed brick walls that are children's only barrier from the outdoors, and vermin scamper in through holes in the walls. Students bring bottles of water to school because the drinking fountains were shut after gushing brown liquid. Dust and soot cover the top two floors, and nobody knows if there is lead or other contaminants mixed into it. Bubbling floor tiles in the hall go unbuffed--custodians and officials are afraid they'll stir up asbestos insulation underneath. A fire alarm doesn't work.”